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maltatoday SUNDAY 21 JANUARY 2018 News 17 'Profit-oriented/ entrepreneurs', who will weigh implementing cli- mate change measures against their economic necessity, and 'The Dis- engaged', who don't believe climate change to be a real threat and who attribute any changes in the climate to "natural" cycle. The authors felt that the study would benefit from such a typol- ogy as they believed it would, "help understand and describe the vari- ation of local farming community clusters in terms of their socio- economic and environmental val- orisation". "Such an approach, which is also used by social scientists and mar- keting professionals, can help the formulation of particular farm extension funding programmes, communication strategies and re- lated strategic plans at the local level (including awareness-raising and training)," they add, while also stressing that identifying these dis- tinct "types" of farmers would help to create "effective key messages" relevant to each of the typologies. The generation gap One of the key overarching points to emerge from this typology is the fact that, while there may be dif- ferences of perception or opinion on climate change among Gozitan farmers, a large majority of them do acknowledge that there have been shifts in the climate over the years. However, it is still only the farmers in the 26-45 and 46-64 age range who actively acknowledge climate change and believe it to be something that should be guarded against. In light of this – and perhaps un- surprisingly – the authors conclud- ed that those farmers who believed climate change is in fact occurring were "significantly more likely to support adaptation measures". Among these, it was livestock farmers who expressed an over- all higher awareness of climate change, though crop farmers who rank among the "believers" had some compelling evidence on hand. Warmer climates – they claimed – were also leading to the intro- ductions of new cultivars in Gozo, which in turn came with new pests that they often found themselves ill-equipped to deal with effectively. Too hot, too dry Despite some of these already- stated differences among farmers – particularly among the larger gen- erational divide – the majority did agree on the main climatic factors that are (sometimes quite literally) changing the farming landscape of Gozo. "Results showed a common agree- ment between younger and older farmers who perceived negative cli- matic consequences to their farm- ing practices," the authors of the study state, stressing that increased heat and prolonged drought condi- tions were the "main culprits". The majority of the farmers they spoke to also confessed that their annual productivity has decreased when compared to previous years, with the authors citing the example of the "loss of 11.6% and 14.8% in value of fruit and vegetables sold in 2011 compared to the previous year". Farmer knows best The perception of these reali- ties falls squarely in line with what has been observed all around the Mediterranean, according to the authors. The authors of the study point to the incidence of increased heatwaves – a regular occurrence since the early noughties – to be both correct and highly relevant, since this type of weather phenom- enon has a direct impact on agri- culture. The concerns about water shortage are also borne out by the evidence. "The number of the consecutive dry days [looked at in the study] showed a positive, statistically sig- nificant climatic trend, pointing to increased drought conditions". These shifts are all, in turn, "linked to the larger regional and global impact originating from a warmer climate", the authors state, add- ing that, "The observed increase in maximum number of consecutive dry days due to an increasingly dry and warmer environment should negatively impact the agricultural sector – a scenario that is in line with the latest [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] forecasts for the Mediterranean basin". Island struggles Sadly, these challenges are all the more menacing for Malta which, being an island, is even more ex- posed to adverse climatic events for reasons which would perhaps be obvious. The authors of the study also note that economic factors play their part too. "While subsistence agriculture has shown to be a basic necessity of food to islanders, agricultural ac- tivities are severely constrained by the smallness and insularity which deprive islands from any compara- tive cost advantage in a rapidly glo- balising world". And not only that... "Moreover, islands have a typi- cally high population pressure on extremely limited land which forces islanders to cultivate small, marginal land that is often charac- terised by low agricultural produc- tivity." Which is all the more reason why... "Adverse climatic impacts... make small island states amongst the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, where na- tional adaptation efforts are often constrained because of their result- ant cost." A gloomy picture, to be sure – but one that the authors are not quite ready to leave at that. They suggest that more research is the next way forward, particularly of the kind that delves into both the differences and the similarities be- tween Maltese and Gozitan farm- ers on this front. More importantly, however, the authors encourage active engagement with the farm- ing community in any such future endeavours, reasoning that such an approach would ensure that farm- ers do not view any future climate change-conscious policies as being borne out of an excess of regulation or bureaucracy. "This could be best achieved by means of active dialogue with the Gozitan farming community in order to integrate farmers into spe- cific policy development activities related to climate change and to start addressing evident disengage- ment and scepticism by including these same farmers into the policy process." treljic@mediatoday.com.mt Your HAndy Your HAndy essential essential running www.sanmichel.com Official Water MALTA MARATHON 2018 SEASONAL TEMPERATURE CHANGES EXPECTED TO HIT THE MEDITERRANEAN BY 2100 1) Decrease in precipitation by about 5-6 percent 2) Likely increase of the length, frequency and intensity of warm spells or heatwaves 3) Increase in sea level rise projections of around 0.4-0.5m similar to global projections 4) Increase of around 1.2 Degrees Celsius to 2.3 Degrees Celsius in surface temperature when compared to 1986-2005 baseline